For virtually all clients the process of recovery feels slow, confusing and frustrating. You are coping with hidden symptoms that others can’t see or understand. Spouses and partners often struggle with their own grief and anguish, and I’ve found that they need just as much support as their brain-injured loved ones in order to cope and adapt.
The field of neuroscience can be good at working with one or two aspects of brain injury, but it is ill equipped to help the effects of brain injury on marriages. This is where I come in.
Whether you or your partner have experienced a brain injury and…
- Have difficulty concentrating or paying attention
- Struggle to remember things or follow through with everyday tasks
- Look and feel healthy on the outside but feel broken on the inside
- Barely tolerate noise levels in public places or being social
- Deal with chronic headaches, migraine, or fatigue
- Mourn the life you used to live
- Haven’t found experts who can give you hope or lasting help
- Feel confused about the best course of action
- Don’t know which experts you should be consulting
- Think you “should be fine” because of how much time has passed
AND it is affecting your relationship…
The intensive is designed to give you expert relationship coaching and a brain injury specialist in one weekend, all at a pace that works for you.
With my supportive approach based on treating thousands of individuals with brain injuries, I will help you make sense of what has happened, point you to the specialists you need, and equip you with tools and resources you can use for life.
After our time together, you will be able to move forward together with hope and a plan that will actually stick.
Lori Weisman is one of the most skilled and knowledgeable therapists in our region on understanding the complexity of brain injury as it relates both to the individual’s long-term success and the family. In particular, her passionate and compassionate support for couples as they navigate this difficult journey is outstanding. She is a great resource for the community and a knowledgeable expert with national relevance.”
HELP!
Have you been to every specialist and nothing’s worked?
If you have felt stuck for too long…
and you’re not sure who can help…
and you’re sick of feeling like you just want your life to get back to normal…
And you’re willing to give it one last shot to understand what’s going on and how to make your relationship feel good…
An intensive is the most effective way.
HOPE!
A professional who understands your unique needs.
With research-based methods and 40+ years experience, I’ll help you build intimacy, communicate better, and develop the tools for lasting healing.
Our work will give you…
- Skills to communicate better
- Tools and resources you can refer to for life
- Resources and referrals that can help you heal
- A vision of a better marriage and the roadmap to get there
- Acceptance of what happened, allowing you to be open to new possibilities for yourself and your relationship
- Assurance that you finally found someone who understands what’s going on and can help you move forward in your life
During an intensive, we’ll focus all of our attention on the specific challenges you’re facing, whether they’re more physical or emotional.
Intensives are my favorite form of coaching because of the results couples get. Weekly hour-long sessions can run out of time before making much progress. The intensive allows us to make progress that sticks. And I keep a very sharp eye out for fatigue, so I promise that we’ll go at a pace that works. If the brain injured partner needs a break, I work with the other partner individually so we’re still making progress during our time together.
My combination of education and practical application is the missing link in the field of recovery. We’ll address your relationship challenges interpersonally, guided by what I know of brain injury and how it affects intimacy and connection. And you’ll come away with a book of customized tools you can use when challenges arise in your daily life.
“We were literally on the brink of divorce. I had no idea if we could ever move past all the confusion and pain that had built up. Thank you, Lori, for helping us find our way back to each other!”
HOW?
The intensive is a private, personalized experience.
The intensive is also the quickest and most effective way to get to what you want.
Beforehand, you will fill out questionnaires that focus our session on your specific situation. Then when we sit down together, my proven method will move you through a year of therapy in just two days.
Whether you choose a 1-day or 2-day intensive, the immersion creates momentum you can use when you return home.
Plus, you receive a custom guidebook filled with the powerful exercises we practice together. Personalized with referrals and recommendations for specialists, your guidebook will provide
actionable tools you can use in daily life —
to stay on track for years to come.
No matter where you live, we can arrange an intensive that fits your busy schedule and gets you the answers you are looking for. In person sessions happen in Carlsbad, CA. This beautiful location is the perfect backdrop for our work together. Stay near the beach, settle in for a mini-vacation, shut off the distractions of the world around you, and give yourself the gift of focusing on nothing more than yourself and your partner…all guided by a proven and effective coaching process.
You probably know where you are stuck. You just need the help getting unstuck.
My husband had a brain injury and our relationship changed so much. We had such a hard time communicating. Lori’s experience in brain injury and couples coaching helped us talk about all of the changes and create a marriage based on each other’s strengths.”
ONE DAY or TWO?
Because few providers acknowledge that the brain injury actually happened to both partners, so much healing is overlooked. In recognizing the way both of you are affected, I help us look at ways to…
- Untangle the blame and shame that keep you deadlocked
- Explore any betrayals that have broken your trust in each other
- Clarify each partner’s thoughts, feelings and desires
- Learn to tolerate the tension of differences — a skill that actually brings you closer together
- Look at how you can move forward together if one of you is more committed to the relationship
I will also give you…
- Education about brain injury and the healing process
- Referrals to professionals who understand and treat brain injury to ensure you get the help you need from the right provider
- Guidance to adjust to the changes you have experienced since the brain injury
You will practice skills using real examples from your life together and leave with a detailed plan you can build on every day with compassion, understanding, and respect.
Whether you choose 1 day or 2, our time is strategically structured to maximize our work and take breaks before fatigue sets in. If the brain injured partner needs a break, I work with the other partner individually so we’re always making progress.
I was concerned that my brain injury and the fatigue I experience would not allow me to get through 2 full days. But Lori organized it perfectly, so I could rest periodically while my partner continued to receive coaching. The two days were a perfect blend of education, coaching and support.”
WHY LORI?
My method differs from every brain injury specialist there is. Because of my combined background as a therapist, relationship coach, speech pathologist, and clinical director of brain injury centers, I have a unique understanding of the brain’s functioning and the nuances of couples relationships. I combine these skills to give your relationship the best chance possible of thriving. My proven coaching methods are informed by the ways TBI affects both the injured and uninjured partner, and my understanding of predictable relationship struggles and effective ways to solve them.
As a coach with over 40 years of experience I have successfully helped hundreds of married partners create the relationship they dream of. I have made a lifelong study of what people need in order to overcome the conflicts that build up over time, including the specialized issues that arise because of brain injury. The truth is that these issues can be addressed by my tested, research-based approach proven to restore the love and understanding that you and your partner need.
I have studied with recognized experts such as Esther Perel, Stan Tatkin, and Michelle Weiner-Davis. I also draw extensively on the Developmental Model of Couples Therapy that Drs. Ellyn Bader and Peter Pearson have developed, which gives a powerful way to see each of you as individuals within an evolving relationship. I spent years as a speech pathologist and specialized in brain injury. I worked at a famous teaching hospital, Rancho los Amigos, and developed two brain injury clinics.
My years of study and practical experience make it possible for me to create an effective, fully customized intensive that will empower you as individuals and partners.
FAQs
Testimonials
“One weekend was definitely NOT too much to give in order to repair the relationship we hoped would last forever. No question…it’s the best gift we ever gave each other.”
“We were so relieved to find Lori. We have been to so many professionals, but none of them knew anything about brain injury. Right away we received education and guidance that helped us take a deep breath. We knew we were in good hands.
My husband had a brain injury and our relationship changed so much. We had such a hard time communicating. Lori’s experience in brain injury and couples coaching helped us talk about all of the changes and create a marriage based on each other’s strengths.”
“Having worked with Lori now with a number of mutual patients who are traumatized by terrible events in their life, I can emphatically state that Lori is the consummate professional. There are 3 essential hallmarks that explain why she is so great at what she does: compassion, commitment, and above all else, a huge reservoir of patience. She listens without judgment; she advises without condescension; and she follows through with promises without hesitation. Every single patient that I have referred to Lori has unequivocally spoken of her in glowing terms. Having worked with her personally and getting to know her on a personal level, I certainly know why.”
Lori Weisman, a Relationship Expert based in both Palm Desert, CA and Bellevue, WA specializes in Couples Coaching, Relationship Intensives, and Marriage Intensives. Lori provides expert relationship services to clients across the Coachella Valley in California, including Palm Springs, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Cathedral City, and Rancho Mirage, as well as Seattle, Washington areas, including downtown Seattle, Kirkland, downtown Bellevue, and the northeast Bellevue neighborhoods.